A series of carbon nanofibres supported Cu/ZrO2/Nb2O5catalyst synthesized by deposition precipitation method were extensively investigated in relation to their performance in hydrogenation of CO2to methanol. In order to study the promotion effect of niobium, catalysts were loaded with 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 wt. of Nb2O5. Incorporation of Nb2O5facilitated copper reduction by exhibiting a shift of highly reduced copper peak to lower temperature. Likewise, surface enrichment of copper was also enhanced by introduction of Nb2O5to the catalysts. Activity studies of Nb2O5doped Cu/ZrO2catalysts were evaluated in a slurry reactor with a CO2/H2gas mixture of 1:3 volume ratio, 180oC temperature and 3.0 MPa total pressure. The highest activity was achieved with the incorporation of 0.8 wt. of Nb2O5, illustrating the high degree of CuO crystallization on the surface of catalyst are beneficial for the generation of copper catalyst with enhanced activities. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.